My Review of Starbuck's Flat White

I finally tried what everybody was talking about.  Now, I'm not a connoisseur by any means and I didn't know what to expect, but it tastes like a sweeter cappuccino.  I say sweeter because I only needed to put one Splenda.   And that was about it.

Movie Review: Into the Woods

It's always interesting to see a movie based on a Broadway musical.  Sometimes it's good, like Chicago, sometimes it's not, like Jersey Boys.  Into the Woods is okay.

It is a sumptuous-looking movie, so the cinematography is wonderful.  However, part of the reason why it is okay is the material itself.  Into the Woods is a twist on traditional fairy stories.  It really doesn't have a normal plot.  The songs from the Broadway show are also not the catchiest although they are pleasant.  So these challenges are transplanted to the movie, and it's just okay because the characterization is so flat.  Now I have never seen the show no Broadway.  I certainly have familiarity with the fairy tales but there were times when the movie had inexplicable scenes.  I'm wondering if that was part of the show as well.  For example, Cinderella (played by Anna Kendrick) goes to a festival and attends a ball three nights in a row.  Each night she runs away from the prince.  You would think after the first time that the Prince would have the palace guards physically restrain her but no she keeps running away two more times.  And you're not sure why she runs away, since there is no fairy godmother with a deadline involved.  The Little Red Riding Hood story seems unfocused.  There seems to be a psychological undercurrent but it's not fully fleshed out.  So I was kind of sitting there going "Eh?"

In terms of comic relief, there were a couple of princes that were hamming it up during their bro-duet.

The standout actor is Emily Blunt, she is able to bring her character out of the two-dimensionality of the movie.  I didn't know that Meryl Streep can sing, but she did a pretty good job (if that's really her voice).   And I always like Anna Kendrick (since Pitch Perfect) although there was very little for her to do in this movie.  So I had a pleasant time watching the movie and there were a few chuckles but I don't think it's worth the price of the ticket.

New York's Great Discount Stores

I am lucky to live in New York.  I know, it's congested, it has a high crime rate, it's noisy, and those are the three minuses of living here that I can reel off the top of my head.  But one of the best things about New York is that you almost never have to pay retail.  New York has great discount shopping opportunities.  Let me tell you about two of my Go-to favorites: Century 21 and Jack's.

Century 21 in New York is a clothing store and should not be confused with the real estate organization.  You can find name brand designers off-the-rack for up to 50% and sometimes 70% off.  And you don't have to wait for a sale, their normal prices are already discounted.  The one type of clothing that I go to Century 21 for are for underwear.  I can find Wacoal, Bali, Lilyette, Olga, Maidenform, etc for half off.  Just yesterday, I bought a Lilyette minimizer that was priced at $32 retail and I bought at $14.97.  I can't get a bargain like that on sale or at the outlets.  How is the store able to sell these items at low prices?  Simple, they buy last year's fashions.  The fashion industry survives on those people who must wear the latest styles and are willing to pay top dollar.  I am not one of those people.  So every season, the clothing stores have to get rid of their merchandise.  They almost always have a seasonal sale so they can make room for the new merchandise for the upcoming season.  The clothing that they haven't sold, they sell to Century 21.  So my purchase of that Lilyette minimizer means that I am wearing the previous season's style.  It's such a hardship.

The other great store that I like to go to when I'm in Manhattan, is Jack's.  Jack's is kind of like a bargain basement type of store.  You come in and you never know what you'll find at a great price.  Jack's used to be a 99-cent store but not everything is 99 cents any more.  They sell all types of different merchandise and their stock turns over a lot so when you find something you like, you have to buy it right then.  I have bought JVC ear pods for $6.99.  They have a grocery section.  I bought a small wheel of brie, Presidential brand (made from France) for $1.99.  Have a party coming up?  You can buy some very nice party items for cheap.

So if you don't know about these stores.  Google them and visit.  It's worthwhile.

Where do you go for great deals?

Happy New Year 2015 to Everyone! Movie Review of Imitation Game and Big Eyes

I like the 2nd day of the new year.  Basically because you are back to normal but you are starting with a clean slate.  The last day of the old year I spent watching two movies in order to take advantage of a complimentary pass.  Of course I waited until the last day of the expiration date to use it.  New Year's Day is exciting because you continue to visit with friends and family.  The 2nd day of the new year is back to normal.  I love it.   The whole holiday period from Halloween through New Year's Day is exhausting.  I don't know how people survive it annually.

So what are the two movies that I saw?  The Imitation Game and Big Eyes.

The Imitation Game is about how Alan Turing and a group of code breakers (math geniuses and logicians) in Bletchley Park, England broke Enigma, the Nazi code.  You would think it would be a boring movie and it is slow, no doubt about it.  If you are used to action movies and hyper-animated computer graphics, then Imitation Game will be different for you because it requires an appreciation of the cerebral magic of a genius like Alan Turing.  Not only was he responsible for breaking the Nazi code but he invented the forerunner of the modern computer.  In fact, according to the movie, he would be a founder of a new field, computer science.  The Imitation Game looks at how Turing came to be part of and eventually headed the group of code breakers during World War 2.  You are watching a lot of geeks trying to do what was impossible and you are made aware of how important their work is because each day that passes means several men have died.  Their success means that the war will be shorter and fewer people die.  Part of what was interesting in the movie to me, is the internal dynamics within the group.  Turing was a genius but impossible to work with.  The movie gives you glimpses of his upbringing that highlight his otherness and how it has affected him.  Of course the code was broken, but this brought up other difficulties.  At the end of it all, despite his success at breaking the code, there is a tragic twist to his life.  It made me tear up that such a  genius could be so heartbreakingly destroyed.  It is worth seeing.  Benedict Cumberbatch, did a great job and effectively melded the vulnerability, genius, arrogance, and awkwardness of Turing.   Turing actually looks better than Cumberbatch in real life.  Cumberbatch unfortunately has kind of a bunny face with his wide cheeks and narrow jaw and it was somewhat distracting.

Big Eyes is about the saga of the Keanes, their paintings and big time art fraud.  During the 1960s Americans became enamored of these paintings of children with big haunting eyes.  The entire world thought the works were done by Walter Keane when in fact, they were painted by his talented wife, Margaret.  I have not spoiled the movie for anyone by telling the plot.  This is a movie that is based on true events.  Nothing I have disclosed is a surprise.  What is interesting about the movie, directed by Tim Burton, is how the whole thing came to be with little effort due to the megomaniacal dreams/delusions of Walter Keane, the passivity of Margaret which is par for women in that time, and how art became a big business in the modern era.  The movie is basically Burton's social commentary on the business of art and the roles of men and women during a time of upheaval in America.  I had to feel sorry for poor Margaret who had true talent and an artist's soul who somehow ended up in a situation which brought her much monetary success but no artistic recognition and a virtual prisoner to her husband's demands.  I also wonder at Walter Keane's huge cognitive dissonance between his huge desire to be known as an artist and his inability to paint.  The whole movie ends in a big trial scene that was funny and satisfying.  Before the movie, I had never heard of the situation.  I knew how the story was going to end but it was still interesting to see how things actually were at the time.